Urbana High wins academic tournament

Katryna Perera, The Frederick News-Post, Md.
·1 min read

Mar. 4—Students from Urbana High won the 2021 Frederick County Public Schools countywide academic tournament, beating out teams from Walkersville, Brunswick and Frederick high schools in the finals.

This is the fourth time students from Urbana High have claimed the No. 1 spot in the tournament, which has been running for 40 years.

Walkersville High, which was the reigning champ from 2020, placed second in this year's finals, and Brunswick High placed third.

All matches were conducted virtually this year. The finals can be watched online through the school system's YouTube page.

FCPS Superintendent Terry Alban told students after the match that she was excited when she found out the tournament would continue this year despite the new environment. She added that she enjoyed getting to hear students collaborate and work through answers over the video platform, but she missed the energy of being in person for the tournament.

"There is nothing better than sitting in that auditorium and seeing how intense you all are. To see the camaraderie amongst the teams and just to watch you in action, I really missed that tonight," she said.

The Charles "Chuck" Thomas Memorial Award was also awarded after the tournament to Frank Strakonsky, a special education instructional assistant at Frederick High. The award is given every year at the final academic tournament match and is often referred to as the curriculum specialists' award. It is given to an individual or group who made significant contributions to the tournament's success.

— Katryna Perera